Tube bundle extractor

ABSTRACT

A tube bundle pulling or pushing mechanism consisting of an elongated framework adapted to be suspended from a crane hook and including a pair of rails which support the tube bundle and a car movable along the rails to pull or push the bundle. The framework consists of two parts shiftable with respect to one another, one part being a base frame including the rails, crossbeams supporting the rails and extending to either side of them, and a pair of longitudinally extending outrigger beams joining the ends of the crossbeams. The outrigger beams are holow, and slidable within each is a link beam having ears at both ends projecting upwardly through longitudinal slots in the outrigger beam. The sliding beam belongs to the second part of the framework, the cradle, which further includes vertical tension bars joining the four ears at their lower ends and connected to a rectangular superstructure at their upper ends. The superstructure also includes a brace supporting an eye member which receives a crane hook. A pair of linear actuators disposed on the outrigger beams and having their pistons connected to the sliding beams permits the cradle to be moved relative to the base frame. Also disclosed are novel means for connecting a pulling member which is offset from the center of a bundle of U-tubes to the end sheet of such bundle through a cluster of holes at the center of the end sheet; novel and remotely controlled means for both aligning the extractor with the heat exchanger shell and securing abutting ends of the two structures together against vertical loads; novel means for clamping such two ends together to prevent relative longitudinal movement; improved means for adjusting the width of the extractor to accommodate tube bundles of various diameters; new and improved means for remotely and safely controlling a set of dogs which depend from a movable car and selectively interlock the car with the base frame; and a plurality of auxiliary power means for moving the car along the rails relatively rapidly, after the prime mover on the car has done the major job of breaking loose from a heat exchanger a tightly fitting bundle of tubes.

[451 Sept. 17, 1974 second part of the the cradle, which furtherincludes vertical ends heir heir pistons connected to he cradle to bemoved tending outrigger beams joining th beams. The outrigger beams arewithin each is a link beam having ears at projecting upwardly throughlongitudinal slots in the outrigger beam.

The sliding beam belongs to the framework,

tension bars joining the four ears at their lower and connected to arectangular superstructure at t upper ends. The superst supporting aneye mem hook. A pair of linear actuators outrigger beams and having tthe sliding beams permits t relative to the base frame.

TUBE BUNDLE EXTRACTOR Inventor: Bobby J. Travis, 345 Mayhaw St.,

Vidor, Tex. 77662 Filed: Mar. 29, 1973 U.S. Cl. 214/1 P, 29/202,2l4/l6.4 R, 254/105 B66f/l/00; 2l4/l P, 1 PA, 214/l6.4, 730; 29/202;254/29, 30, 105; 294/86 TS, 78 A References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTSaaedhu e e S rm m mmw aw on b u tfluvovlattm .mr e a m mm ec sws d RSaWMb 0 m who v m d m Ce Cwl n n m e m mmmwtw mmaw wae gpmr.

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l 1.! 7 n elh 2,0, ,SvSID, rt 5 O .1t l33333 PA United States PatentTravis [21] Appl. No: 345,854

[58] Field ofSearch........

SHEET 2 BF 7 PAIENTEDSEPI 1 I974 PATENTEBSEPI H 14 3,886.0 1 5 SHEET 3[1F 7 IO\ Y 38 ii 0 I' li 0 l2.

l n m -1 M m l PATENIEBSEP 11914 SHEET 6 BF 7 TUBE BUNDLE EXTRACTORFIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention lies broadly within thefield of linear force application devices, i.e., devices to apply aforce to one linearly elongated object to move it with respect toanother, while at the same time retaining the second linearly elongatedobject in a static position. More specifically, the present inventionconstitues an improved tube bundle extractor, one designed and adaptedto pull an array of tubing from a horizontally elongated heat exchangershell.

PRIOR ART In the tube bundle extractor field, the closest prior artknown to the undersigned inventor is his own U.S. Pat. No. 3,567,044,issued Mar. 2, 1971. This patent discloses a tube bundle extractorincluding a superstructure adapted to be hung from a cable hook, anelongated base frame including a pair of rails supported by thesuperstructure and disposed in line with a horizontally mounted heatexchanger, a connector used for clamping one end of the base frame tothe shell of the heat exchanger, a car or skid disposed on the rails andmovable along the rails in the longitudinal direction of the base frame,a large hydraulic cylinder secured to the movable car and having itspiston extensible in the same longitudinal direction, means forconnecting the free end of the piston to the end sheet of the tubebundle within the heat exchanger, and dog means depending from the carto contact cross beams of the base frame during a power stroke of thepiston, to transmit reaction force to the frame. While such tube bundleextractor has worked admirably, the patent does not disclose anyremotely controllable means for adjusting the center of gravity of theextractor and any tube bundle that may be mounted on it during adisassembly or assembly operation, nor does it provide means for makingsuch adjustments other than manually. Such adjustments are veryimportant for the protection of both personnel and equipment, as all ofthe weight is suspended from a single point and only a small momentwould be required to tip the device, when it is disconnected from theheat exchanger, to create a hazard of letting the tube bundle slip offthe extractor and crash down to the earth. During the time when the tubebundle extractor and heat exchanger are connected together, the sametype of moment may produce undesired stresses on the equipment, stresseswhich if allowed to increase in magnitude may result in breakage.

Other prior art disclosures teach assemblies somewhat similar to that ofthe Travis Patent, but differ therefrom primarily in the means forsupporting and propelling the movable car or carriage. In one such priorart disclosure, the carriage supports pendent from its lower portion alarge nut which threadedly engages a worm gear or feed screw extendinglongitudinally between the rails on which the carriage travels. In otherprior art extractors the carriage is supported on and suspended from amonorail, and slings are used to support the tube bundle from themonorail as it is pulled from the heat exchanger. Yet other extractorsmake extensive use of chain drive systems, both for pulling the tubebundle loose from the heat exchanger and in moving the car and attachedtube bundle to disengage the tube bundle from the heat exchanger.

None of these prior art devices discloses a reliable and efficient meansfor shifting the center of gravity of the suspended apparatus, a meansin which one part of the supporting framework may be moved relative toanother part. None of them discloses a means for attaching the pushingor pulling apparatus to a bundle of U- tubes, one in which each tube isopen at the available front header, but is bent at the rear and joinedto a second such tube so that there is no way of extending arod all theway through any one tube. All of them are also deficient in failing todisclose various of the other improvements of the present invention,including means for adjusting the suspension framework to accommodatetube bundles of various diameters, improved means for clamping one endof the framework to the shell of a heat exchanger, improved and remotelycontrollable means for lowering and raising one end of the tube bundleextractor to align the same with the tube bundle, and improved meansmounted on the movable car to make it self propelling with respect tothe base framework on which it travels.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION It is the principal object of the presentinvention to provide a tube bundle extractor overcoming theaforementioned disadvantages of the prior art.

A more specific object is to provide a tube bundle extractor having asuspended and load supporting framework in which one part of theframework is longitudinally movable with respect to another part of suchframework in order to shift the center of gravity of the suspendedassembly to a position below the point of suspension.

A further object is to provide such a tube bundle extractor whichincludes novel means for pulling or pushing a tube bundle.

Another object is to provide improved means for clamping one end of theframework of such a tube bundle extractor to a shell of a heatexchanger, some of said improved means being manually adjustable andothers being remotely adjustable.

Another object is to provide an improved means of aligning such a tubebundle extractor with a heat exchanger, so that one end of the baseframe of the tube bundle extractor will contact the end flange of a heatexchanger shell and the longitudinal axis of the two members will beparallel.

Another object is to provide a tube bundle extractor having a novelmeans for connecting a car or other power-application structure to abundle of U-tubes.

A further object is to provide a supporting framework which isadjustable in width to accommodate tube bundles of various diameters.

Another object is to provide such a tube bundle extractor including amovable car supporting a linear actuator to push or pull the tube bundleand equipped with depending dogs operable by remotely controlled andinterlocked dog means to alternately brace the car against the baseframework to prevent movement of the car in one direction or the other.

SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention includes as itsprincipal improvement a means for remotely adjusting the center ofgravity of an entire heat bundle extractor, together with any tubebundle or other load it may be carrying. The framework may be thought ofas comprising two distinct portions which are made slidable with respectto one another to any one of a number of positions, the selectedposition thereafter being maintained until a second shift is called for.One portion of the framework resembles a railroad track in that itconsists primarily of two elongated and parallel rails or hollow beamssupported by a number of crossbeams which extend to either side of therails; these protruding parts are rigidly fixed to a pair of outriggerbeams, also extending longitudinally, but not for the full length of thecarsupporting rails. The other portion of the framework consists of abeam slidable within the hollow enclosure of the outrigger beams andhaving at each end an ear which projects upwardly through a longitudinalslot in the outrigger beam. Each of the four ears is connected to atension bar which projects upwardly, and at the top the four tensionbars are connected by a rigid rectangular framework or superstructurewhich includes a member supporting an ear adapted for connection to thehook of a crane. This second framework portion may be thought of as asupporting cradle, and all parts of the cradle are secured to oneanother so that the entire cradle is rigid and moves as a unit. To makethe cradle shiftable in a longitudinal direction with respect to thebase frame, a linear hydraulic actuator has its cylinder fixed to thebase framework so that its piston extends in the longitudinal direction,and the free end of the piston is rigidly secured to the slidable innerbeam of the cradle assembly. The actuator may be controlled by remotelypositioned valves to extend or retract the piston into its companioncylinder, thus shifting the cradle with respect to the base framework.

The U-tube connection of the present invention involves a bundle ofU-tubes joined at one end by a header having at or near its center anumber of tapped holes especially provided to receive threaded memberswhen pushing or pulling the bundle. These threaded holes may easily begalled or otherwise damaged if the force applied in pushing or pullingvaries appreciably in direction from one parallel to the tubes and axesof the threaded holes. The present invention provides a means forapplying a force parallel to the tube bundle, but appreciably offsettherefrom in such manner that the force applied is first transmittedthrough a pair of vertical link bars disposed to confront the end sheetof such a tube bundle in close proximity thereto, then through atransverse pin having a flattened portion in contact with the back edgesof the link bars, the balance of the surface of the pin beingcylindrical in configuration and being seated in an opening through thelongitudinally extending leg of a T-shaped member passing between thelink bars, and then through the transverse portion of such T-shaped barand through screws passing through such transverse portion and into theend sheet of the tube bundle. At either end of the link bars anotherT-shaped member is pivotally attached to the link bars and pressesagainst the surface of the end sheet through the medium of a secondplate which is adjustably positioned with respect to the first by meansof jackscrews. The jackscrews are adjusted to tighten the pin at thecenter of the assembly and to assure that the center T-shaped member ispressed flat against the end sheet.

Width adjustability of the framework is provided by having the crossbarsfabricated in two parts, one telescoping within the other and adjustableto various positions where they may be secured by appropriate pins. Twotypes of shell clamps are provided, one being manually adjustable andthe other remotely adjustable through a hydraulic cylinder and piston,together with an inner, telescoping portion of the rails, movement ofthe piston accomplishing both rotation of a clamping jaw from aninoperative, out-of-way position to an upright, operative position andmoving both the telescoping portion of the rail and jaw to engage theback side of the heat exchanger shell. Hydraulic control is alsoprovided for the alignment means, such means including a pair ofhydraulic cylinders and longitudinally extensible pistons mounted on therails, 21 sheave mounted on the end of each rail and a cable passingfrom the end of the piston around the sheave and upwardly to a bolt holein the flange of the heat exchanger. The use of this alignment mechanismallows the front end of the extractor to be raised into contact with theheat exchanger, and even permits some rotation of the tube bundleextractor with respect to the fixed heat exchanger. It should also benoted that the alignment mechanism serves an important securingfunction, as it ties the forward end of the framework to the heatexchanger in such manner that vertical loads can not break theconnection.

The invention will be more readily comprehended by referring to theenclosed drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention, this view showing the tube bundle extractor suspended from acrank hook and engaged with a bundle of U-tubes shown partly protrudingfrom the shell of a heat exchanger.

FIG. 2 is perspective view of a portion of the same tube bundleextractor, this view showing the inner, sliding beam which forms a partof the cradle subassembly, together with a portion of the outrigger beamcontaining the sliding member.

FIG. 3 shows the same type of center of gravity adjusting mechanism asFIG. 2, differing thereform in the position of the hydraulic cylinderand its connection to the sliding member.

FIG. 4 shows an alternative means for adjusting the center or gravity,this view showing a hook-connecting member which is slidable withrespect to the upper framework.

FIG. 5 is a partial isometric view showing an alternate, prior artconnection between the main power piston and the tube bundle.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the tube bundle extractor shown in FIG. 1, withthe tube bundle and heat exchanger omitted in order to show otherdetails.

FIG. 7 is a side view of the tube bundle extractor of FIG. 1. In thisview the tube bundle secured to the end of the power piston is shownmore completely with drawn from its heat exchanger, in phantom outline.

FIG. 8 is a perspective detail view of the means shown in the priorfigures for connecting the power piston to the tube bundle.

FIG. 9 is a partial cross section shwoing details of the framework, asindicated by the lines and the arrows marked 9-9 in FIG. 6.

FIG. 10 is a front view of the tube bundle extractor of FIG. 1 with thetube bundle and car omitted.

FIG. 11 is a partial longitudinal section of the forward part of one ofthe rails of the base frame, showing the preferred form of the shellclamp, as indicated by lines and arrows 11-11 of FIG. 6.

FIG. 12 is a partial isometric view, also of the forward part of one ofthe rails of the base frame, showing the pivoted jaw of the shell clampand part of the alignment mechanism of the invention.

FIG. 13 is an isometric view of an alternate form of shell clamp, thisveiw showing the telescopic, slidable frame member and the rotatable jawof the modified shell clamp.

FIG. 14 is a partial longitudinal section showing parts of the auxiliarychain drive.

FIG. 15 is a detail showing how the auxiliary chain is secured to theunderside of the movable car.

FIG. 16 is an elevation showing a modified form of auxiliary chaindrive, one in which the driving motor is mounted on the movable car.This view also shows the dog means which cooperates with fixedtransverse blocks on the base frame to hold the car in position during apower stroke.

FIG. 17 is a plan view of the apparatus of FIG. 16.

FIG. 18 is an end view of the apparatus of the two prior figures.

FIG. 19 is a partial plan view, with portions broken away for the sakeof clarity, showing another form of auxiliary drive, this form havingelongated racks secured to the rails of the base frame meshing with apinion mounted on a shaft driven by a motor mounted on the upper side ofthe movable car.

FIG. 20 is an elevation of the structure of FIG. 19.

FIG. 21 is an end view of the structure shown in the two prior figures.

FIG. 22 is an isometric view showing a slightly different form of rackand pinion drive, this one having only a single driving motor mounted onthe car and powering a gear train meshing with a pair of racks on therails of the base frame.

FIG. 23 is yet another modified form of rack and pinion drive, againwith a single driving motor mounted on the undercarriage of the movablecar.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES In FIG. 1, the numeral 1 hasbeen used to designate the tube bundle extractor as a whole. Shown alsoare the elements on which the extractor 1 operates, specifically theheat exchanger shell S, the end flange F of the heat exchanger shell,tube bundle T shown partially protruding from shell S, and the end sheetE1 of the tube bundle, to which all of the tubes T are attached. Itshould be understood that the heat exchanger itself is secured to fixedframework inside a chemical plant or oil refinery by means havingnothing to do with the present invention. Such securing means hold theshell of the heat exchanger in place against all types of movements, butdo not prevent the tube bundle T from being pulled out of the heatexchanger.

The principal parts of tube bundle extractor l are the framework 10,itself divided into a suspension framework or cradle 12 and a baseframework 14, movable car or sled 16, the prime mover 18 mounted on theupper surface of car 16, the connector 22 which ties the prime mover 18to the tube bundle T, the alignment mechanism 24 which adjustablyconnects the forward end of base frame 14 to the shell S, and theclamping mechanism 26 which clamps the base frame 14 to shell flange F.

The reason for distinguishing between parts of framework 10 is becausethe cradle portion 12 is longitudinally movable with respect to baseframe 14. This is made apparent in FIG. 1 by the two positions shown forthe vertical or tension bars 28 and the cross bars 32; the solidoutlines of these members indicate one extreme position while the dashedor phantom outlines indicate the other extreme position of thesemembers. The distance traveled by the cradle between its two extremeposition is also indicated by the dimension labelled 30. The cradleframework includes a superstructure consisting of the pair of cross bars32 and a pair of lengthwise bars 34, solidly secured together at theircorners to form a rigid rectangle and the center brace 36 in the form ofan I-beam to which is secured a crane ear 38. The balance of cradle 12is made up of the four tension bars 28 secured to and extendingdownwardly from the corners of the superstructure rectangle, and a pairof beams 42 secured to the lower ends of the pair of tension bars 28 oneither side of center line 20.

As particularly brought out in FIG. 2, the slide beams 42 are elongatedand disposed in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis or centerline 20 of the tube bundle extractor, and are disposed within the pairof hollow rectangular outrigger beams 52 of base framework 14, outriggerbeams 52 likewise extending parallel to longitudinal axis 20 between thelower ends of tension bars 28. At its opposed upper corners, each beam52 is provided with a longitudinally extending slot'54, and on opposedends each sliding beam 42 had secured an upwardly projecting ear 44which extends through a slot 54 and is connected by appropriate pinningto the lower end of a tension bar 28.

To provide for relative movement, a linear actuator in the form of ahydraulic cylinder 56 is fixed to the outrigger beam 52 with itsextensible piston 58 projecting longitudinally parallel to axis 20. Atits free end piston 58 is connected to an ear 46 rigidly secured tosliding beam 42. Thus, when the tube bundle extractor 1 is hanging freefrom crane hook C and ring 40, actuation of hydraulic cylinder 56 tomove piston 58 causes beams 42 to slide within outrigger beam 52, movingthe four tension bars 28 and the entire upper framework orsuperstructure including the crane ear 38 in the same direction. Sincethe crane ear and the hook itself will be static at such moment, theactual movement relative to the ground is a movement of the base frame12, together with any load it may then be supporting. By thus shiftingthe load supported by the cradle, the center of gravity of the entiresuspended assembly, both tube bundle extractor and any tube bundle it isthen supporting, may be shifted to lie directly below crane hook C,averting any possibility of tipping the assembly and permitting the loadto slide along the rails of the base frame. Similar adjustments may bemade when the base frame is tightly connected to a heat exchanger, as byfirst moving the crank hook chain (not shown) to a new location and thenactuating cylinder 56 to cause movement of the cradle and hook to aposition directly below the chain.

A slightly modified form of the frame balancing structure is shown inFIG. 3. Here the hydraulic cylinder is disposed on and secured to thetop surface of outrigger beam 52, and one of the ears of sliding beam 42is elongated at 44' to provide means for securing the sliding beam tothe piston 58 of the linear actuator. The only modification required inthe outrigger beam 52 is to somewhat lengthen the slot 54 whichaccommodates the ear 44. The alternate construction is somewhat simplerto manufacture, and makes cylinder 56 more readily available forservicing.

A more completely different embodiment of the frame balancing structureis shown in FIG. 4. In this embodiment the ear 38 which is used as thepoint of suspension from a crank hook is welded or otherwise firmlysecured to a member 62 which is slidable along the top flange of theI-beam brace 36 of the framework superstructure. The sliding member 62is shaped generally like a hollow rectangle having its bottom wallslotted to receive the vertical web of the I-beam 36. This same bottommember is bent up, on both sides of the slot adjacent to the web of theI-beam, to provide an inner support or journal for the rollers 64 whichare also joumalled to the outer legs of the rectangle. Such rollers 64serve the usual purpose of reducing the frictional force between thesliding member 62 and the I- beam 36. Sliding of the member 62 and ear38 is accomplished through a hydraulic cylinder 66 fixed to the framemembers 32 and 36 and a piston 68 extending out of the cylinder andactuated by it.

As seen particularly in FIGS. 1,6,7,9 and 10, the base frame 14 includesthe pair of outrigger beams 52, a plurality of cross beams 59 extendingbetween and secured to the outrigger beams, a pair of parallel rails 50which are elongated parallel to the axis and project beyond outriggerrails 52 at both ends, and a number of shorter crossbeams 57 tying theprojecting portions of rails to each other. The rails 50 rest oncrossbeams 59 and are rigidly secured to it, as by welding. As indicatedin FIG. 9, each crossbeam 59 consists of two parts which are telescopicwith respect to one another. The larger crossbeam 60 is a hollowrectangular member receiving a slightly smaller rectangular member 61 insliding relationship. A series of aligned, pin-receiving holes 71 in thetwo members permit stepwise movement of telescopic sections 61 and thusof the outrigger beams 52 to adjust the width between the outriggerbeams. Since the tension members 28 extend directly up from theoutrigger beams and these members 28 determine the width of tube bundlethat can be accommodated on the tube bundle extractor, it will beapparent that the flexibility afforded by the telescopic arrangement ofthe crossbeams makes it possible to accommodate tube bundles of variousdiameters without any radical reorganization of the supportingstructure.

The construction and operation of the movable car 16 are seen to bestadvantage FIGS. 1,9,16,17 and 18. From these figures will been seen thatthe framework of the car consists of a top plate 74 bent over at thesides to form side plates 76, a pair of end plates 78, an interiorU-shaped plate 82 secured to the under side of top plate 74 and havingthe pair of bent over and depending side plates 84 and an L-shaped plate86 secured to a portion of the U-plate 82 and having a dependingvertical arm 88. The car is supported on the main rails 50 through themedium of four rollers rotatably supported on idler shafts 81 journaledin journal blocks 77 and 85, block 77 being secured to the inner surfaceof side member 76 and block being secured to the vertical plate member84. Also journaled in block 85 is the long idler shaft or pivot pin 91,which extends through vertical plates 84 and 88 at either side of thecar, and is also supported in journal blocks 89. Pivotally mounted onpin 91 are the depending dogs and 92 which, as shown FIG. 16, have theirfree ends squared off to be received in the angle formed by the uppersurfaces of crossbeams 57 and 59 and the transverse block 53 secured tothe same upper surfaces. 5 The dog members are raised and lowered byspringbiased air cylinders 96, one at each end of the car 16, each beingpivotally mounted to the under side of plate 82 and pivotally linked toone of the transverse links 94 which also extends through the dogs 90and 92. Each air cylinder 96 is open at the top, air being admittedbetween the closed lower end of the cylinder and the sliding head of thepiston within the cylinder bore. The bias is to the downward position asshown for the right hand dog 90 in FIG. 16, Le, this is the position thedog is forced into by the action of the spring when there is no airpressure within the cylinder 96. The two cylinders are hydraulicinterlinked at the control valve (not shown) so that when air issupplied to one cylinder to raise the dog clear of block 53, the air isbled from the cylinder at the opposed end to cause the spring of thecylinder to push the dog into its lower, engaged position. The safetyfeatures require that one or both dogs be lowered at all times, thuspreventing the car from experiencing an uncontrolled movement greaterthan the distance between a pair of blocks 53.

The prime mover 18 is a linear actuator disposed parallel to thelongitudinal axis 20 of the framework and axis 21 of the heat exchangershell S. Its cylinder portion 100 is rigidly secured in the top plate 74of car 16, with its piston 102 extendable in the longitudinal directiontoward or away from tube bundle T. Mounted on the free end of piston 102is a clevis 104 for connection to the connector of assembly 22 of FIG. 1or the connector plate of FIG. 5. In either event horizontally alignedtransverse openings through the arms of clevis 106 receive a pin alsoextending through an element of the connector means, which in the caseof the FIG. 5 connector is an ear 112 rigidly secured to connector plate110 and extending away from the tube sheet E5. It will also be notedthat the linear actuator 18 is disposed well below the center line ofthe tube bundle T: this has been done deliberately because the center ofgravity of the tube bundle does not lie on its geometric center line, asmight be supposed. Because of the products of corrosion that accumulatewithin a heat exchanger, the center of gravity is actually well belowthe center of the tubes themselves.

The tube bundle connector 22 of the present invention is shown in FIG.1,6,7 and 8, the latter being an enlarged isometric view of theconnector apart from its setting. These figures show a connector 22especially adapted for use with bundles of U-tubes, those in which apair of tubes are open at the forward end, as seen in the figures, butare paired together by a connector neck at the rear, making itimpossible to push a tie rod all the way through any one tube, as in theFIG. 5 embodiment. When U-tubes are employed in the heat exchanger, theforward end sheet E1 is provided with a number of tapped and threadedholes clustered about the geometric center of the end sheet, and theconnector must be tied to the end sheet through these holes. In theconnector 22 this is accomplished by screwing into such holes astructural element herein dubbed T member 1 13, consisting of atransverse plate 114 integrally secured at its center to alongitudinally extending leg 116 which meets plate 114 at right anglesand bisects it at its center line. The leg 116 extends between a pair ofparallel vertical links or tie rods 118, and has a projection rearwardlyof the same provided with a transverse opening receiving a pin 120having thereon a flat surface 122 designed to press against the rearedges of link bars 118. At their upper and lower extremities, the pairof link rods 118 are pivotally connected to two additional T-members 124and 125, each of which is connected by four jackscrews 126 to a spacerblock 128 preferably made of a hard, dense wood such as rosewood. Thepivot pin used to connect the lower T-member 125 to the link bars 118 isalso used to connect the clevis 104 to the connector 22, as indicated inFIG. 1.

In assembling connector 22, the T-member 113 is first connected to theend sheet E1 of the tube bundle, and the pair of link bars 118 areconnected to the clevis 104, with lowermost T-member 125 in place. Thebars 118 are swung to the illustrated vertical position, spanning leg116 of T-mernber 113. The upper T-member is then assembled to the linkbars 118, after which pin 120 is inserted in the opening of leg 116 ofcenter T- member 112 with its flat 122 facing toward the rear edges oflink bars 118. Both sets of jackscrews 126 are then adjusted so thatboth of the spacer blocks 128 press against end sheet, E1 of the tubebundle. As the jackscrews are tightened, they push link bars 118 awayfrom the tube sheet and cause them to press tightly against pin 120until the pin is tightly jammed between the link bars and leg 116. Withthis arrangement, a pulling force exerted through the power piston andits clevis 104 in the direction away from the end sheet is transmittedto the tube bundle through lowermost pivot pin 127, link bars 118, pin120, leg 116 and its attached plate 114, and through the screws holdingthe plate 114 to the end sheet. It should be noted that in so doing thepulling force must pass through the flat surface 122 of the pin and thenthrough the curved surface of the pin to the similarily curved surfaceof the opening in leg 116 which accommodates it. In this manner thepulling force is first concentrated in a very small central area andthen destributed equaly to the four or more screws holding plate 114 tothe end sheet.

The general scheme for obtaining proper vertical and transverseorientation of the tube bundle extractor 1 with respect to the heatexchanger is first to adjust the position of the extractor by means ofthe crane until rails 50 are approximately tangent to flange F of theheat exchanger shell, then fix the vertical location of the forward endsof the rails in contact with flange F, by means of the alignmentmechanism 24, and finally adjust the vertical position of crane hook Cuntil the axis 20 of the tube bundle extractor is parallel to the axis21 of the heat exchanger. At the same time that this is being done, ofcourse, the longitudinal position of the extractor is determined bycausing the forward annular surface of the flange F to contact thevertical surfaces of the pair of blocks 142 which are fixed on theforward ends of rails 50 and serve as the fixed jaws of the shell clamps26.

The vertical alignment and securing mechanism 24 is shown in FIGS. 1,6,7and 12. It consists primarily of a hydraulic cylinder 130 secured on theoutside wall of rail 50 adjacent its forward end, the cylinder and itsextensible piston 132 being disposed longitudinally so that the pistonmay be extended toward end sheet E or retracted from it. The othercomponents are the sheave 134 mounted on the outer wall of block 142 ona horizontally disposed idler shaft, the cable 136 having one endsecured to the free end of the piston, bent around sheave 134 andextending upwardly to join a connecting bolt 138 through one of the boltopenings in flange F of the shell. The cable is shown attached to theportion of the connector 138 petruding from the back face of the flangeF simply because there is more room available in the back than on thefront side of the flange. It will be apparent that retraction of thepiston 132 from the position shown in FIGS. 1 and 7 will cause the cableto tighten, tending to lift the forward end of the framework upwardlywith respect to the heat exchanger. Since there is an alignmentmechanism 24 on each of the rails 50, adjustment of both of them can beused to correct any roll of the extractor framework, i.e., the alignmentmechanism may be used to insure that the rails 50 lie in a commonhorizontal plane. What is not so apparent is that these mechanisms mayalso be used to rotate the tube bundle within its shell, alternatelypulling down on one side and then on the other when the tube bundle hasbecome so tightly corroded to its shell that some twisting is in orderin an attempt to loosen the tube bundle for more ready extraction.

The shell clamping mechanism 26 serves two functions, one being toorient the tube bundle extractor in the longitudinal relationship to theheat exchanger and the other to serve as a means for transmitting theunavoidably produced thrust; there must be something tied to the earthto push against before the pulling mechanism of the extractor caneffectively pull the tube bundle out of its shell. A remotely controlledform of shell clamp is pictured in FIGS. l,6,7,ll and 12, the last twofigures showing particular details. As illus' trated, the clamp includesfixed jaw 142 rigidly secured to rail 50, movable jaw 140, a telescopicinner beam 144 slidably within rail 50, a hydraulic cylinder 145disposed inside of rail 50 and secured thereto with a longitudinaldisposition, and the piston 146 extensible from and retractable intocylinder 145. The movable jaw 140 is pivotally mounted on an idler pin148 journaled to the side walls of extensible rail 144, and has anangular portion pivotally attached to the end of piston 146 at thepinned connection 152. A stop block 150 is secured to the top of theotherwise open telescopic member 144 to prevent further clockwiserotation of pivoted jaw 140 than indicated in FIGS. 11 and 12.

Operation of the clamp 26 can best be understood by looking at FIGS. 11and 12 together, and then starting from the position shown in FIG. 12,where the movable jaw 140 is spaced from fixed jaw 142 a considerablygreater distance than the thickness of a shell flange F. Since themovable jaw 140 is shown in FIG. 12 is already in its upright, operativeposition, it will be apparent that retraction of piston 146 into itscylinder 144 will merely pull the slidable telescopic member 144 withinrail 50 until jaw 140 meets with resistance, as by contacting the rearsurface of flange F as shown in FIG. 11. As long as the retractionpressure is maintained on the piston, the flange F will be tightlygripped between the jaws 142 and 140. On the other hand, if the pressurein the cylinder 144 is reversed to cause the piston 146 to be extendedfurther from its cylinder, it will be apparent that two things willhappen: first, telescopic section 144 will be moved out of rail 50, inthe direction indicated by the arrows in FIGS. 11 and 12, and secondly,the movable jaw will be rotated about its pivot 148 until it is whollycontained within the hollow enclosure defined by member 144. In thisnonoperative position, the tube bundle extractor can be assembled to ordisassembled from the heat exchanger withoutinterference from the jaws140.

An alternate form of shell clamp 26' is illustrated in FIG. 13, onerequiring some manual adjustment in tightening or loosening the movablejaw 156. It is similar to the previously described embodiment in that itincludes a telescopic member 154 slidable within the rail and actuatedby a hydraulic cylinder and piston like those indicated in the FIG. 11,but differs therefrom in that in the manual embodiment of FIG. 13 thepiston is linked directly to sliding member 154. A hearing plate 158 iswelded or otherwise secured within the enclosure defined by beam 154, ata spacing from the end thereof. The movable jaw 156 is rigidly securedto one end of a shaft 160 rotatably mounted in the end plate (not shown)of telescopic beam 154 and extends longitudinally to a reduced diametershoulder which butts against plate 158. The small diameter portion ofshaft 160 extends through an opening in bearing plate 158, and isthreaded to receive a nut 162 welded to plate 158 concentric with theopening therethrough. Thus the assembly may be completed by tighteningthe threaded engagement between shaft 160 and nut 162, then looseningthe same during an inoperative period just enough to let shaft 160rotate until the jaw 156 hangs downwardly, out of the way. When theclamp is to be engaged, it is not essential that the threaded engagementbe made up tightly, as the clamping pressure is obtained through thehydraulic cylinder rather than the mechanical interlock of the threads.All that is necessary is to have some of the threads engaged and the jawin its upright position, as illustrated, when the sliding member 154 ispulled in the direction to cause jaw 156 to contact the back surface ofthe shell flange.

The highest levels of pull strength are required when first pulling atube bundle loose from the heat exchanger, and perhaps for a few feetthereafter, because usually at this time the tube bundle is tightlycorroded to the shell. During the initials movements the prime mover 18on car 16 is used to apply the necessary force, and at such times thedogs are set in the positions indicated in FIGS. 14 and 16 in order thatthe necessary reaction force can be applied to the framework and theheat exchanger shell. If the tube bundle is still tight within the heatexchanger shell after a complete retraction stroke of the piston 102,the car 16 is moved away from the tube sheet by reversing the flow ofhydraulic fluid through cylinder to extend the piston rod 102 toward thetube sheet (after first reversing the dogs 90 from the positionillustrated). Since the car is much lighter than the tube bundle, and ismounted on rollers 80 to reduce friction, the car is moved away from thetube sheet for the length of a piston stroke, after which the dogs canbe restored to the FIG. 14 position and the pulling stroke repeated.

Once a tube bundle is broken loose, the remaining part of the extractionrequires a relatively small pull, and this can be accomplished by theauxiliary prime mover illustrated in the drawing figures. One such aauxiliary prime mover is shown in drawing FIGS. 1,6,7,l4 and 15, andconsist primarily of chain 166 centered between rails 50 and below thepath of car 16, driving motor end sprockets 168 located at the rear ofbase frame 14, and the idler and guide sprockets 170,172 and 174. Thechain 166 is preferably secured to the undercarriage of car 16 by aclamp 176 having teeth not shown which enter between links of the chainto prevent all relative movement. This is depicted in FIGS. 14 and 15,which also show a pair of guide members 178 for the chain. Thisstructure on car 16 is rigidly linked to chain 166, but power need neverbe applied through the motor 168 during the periods when it is necessaryto use the prime mover 18 on the upper side of car 16.

A somewhat different type of auxiliary prime mover is illustracted inFIGS. 16,17 and 18. In 17 half of the upper plate 74 of car 16 has beencut away to show the arrangements of power components. In this form apair of rotary motors 180 secured to the nether side of car 16 have acommon shaft on which is mounted the necessary sprockets 182 to engagethe chain 184. The idlers sprockets 185 simply fix the position of thechain, which is secured against rotation by an anchor 186 at the rearend of the base frame and a similar anchor 188 which secures it to theframework at the forward end of the base frame. Thus, the mode of travelwhen using this form of auxiliary prime mover is to rotate the motor 180and let the motor pull the car through the chains: the car walks on thechain.

FIGS. 19,20 and 21 illustrate another form of auxiliary prime mover, onein which a pair of motors 190 mounted on the upper plate 74 of car 16have vertical depending shafts 192 with appropriate reduction gearing194 and pinions 196 at their lower ends. The pinions 196 and mesh withand rotate over the longitudinally extending racks 198 on the insidewalls of the main rails 50. It will be noted that in this form the rackand pinion teeth extend vertically. As the motor 190 is acutated torotate shaft 192 and pinion 196, pinion walks along the rack 198,earring the car 16 with it.

The alternate form of auxiliary prime mover shown in FIG. 22 isvirtually the same as that shown in FIGS. 19-21, with the exception ofusing a single drive motor 202 which has on the lower end of itsvertical shaft 204 a gear 206 which meshes directly with the first of apair of intermeshing pinions 208 and 210. The pinions 208 and 210 meshdirectly with racks 212 on the inner walls of main rails 50.

FIG. 23 illustrates yet another form of rack and pinion drive, this oneemploying racks in which the teeth edges of the rack 216 arehorizontally oriented and the matching pinions 218 rotate on ahorizontal shaft 220. At the center of shaft 220 is a large gear 222meshing with a small worm gear 224 driven by the motor and gear reducer226. With this structure a large gear reduction will be accomplished,and a large amount of power may be applied to move the car along thedirection parallel to the racks 216.

What is claimed is:

1. A tube bundle extractor comprising a framework elongated along itslongitudinal direction and including both means for suspending theextractor from a support and a base portion adapted to support a tubebundle, said framework comprising a pair of portions selectivelyslidable with respect to each other along the longitudinal direction butotherwise secured together, a car supported on and movable along thelongitudinal direction of the base of the framework, means fordetachably securing one end of the framework to the shell of a heatexchanger so that the two members (frame work and heat exchanger) arevertically and longitudinally aligned and the base of the extractor isin position to receive and support a tube bundle being pulled from orinserted into the shell, power means on said car to pull said tubebundle from the shell or insert it therein, and hydraulic means on saidframework to shift one portion thereof in the longitudinal directionrelative to the other, whereby the center of gravity of said extractorand any tube bundle supported thereon may be disposed approximatelydirectly below said support, said hydraulic means comprising a linearactuator having its cylinder secured to one of the portions of theframework and its extensible piston secured to the other said portion,said linear hydraulic actuator being disposed parallel to thelongitudinal direction of the framework.

2. The tube bundle extractor of claim 1 in which said pair of frameworkportions are a base framework and a cradle, said cradle interlockinglysupporting said base framework and including said suspension means, andin which said cylinder of the linear hydraulic actuator is secured onone of said framework portions, either said cradle or said base, and itsextensible piston secured to the other framework portion, said hydrauliccylinder and piston being disposed parallel to the longitudinaldirection of the framework so that movement of the piston out of or intoits cylinder moves the cradle relative to the base framework.

3. A tube bundle extractor framework elongated along a longitudinal axisand comprising a cradle, a base frame, and alinear said cradlecomprising (a) a superstructure including means above the longitudinalaxis for suspending the extractor from a support such as a crane hook,(b) two pairs of tension bars pendent from the superstructure, one pairon each side of said axis, and (c) a link beam extending longitudinallyand connecting the lower ends of each pair of link bars, said base framecomprising (d) a pair of longitudinally extending outrigger beamsdisposed in transversely spaced relationship at substantially the samelocations as said link bars, said outrigger beams being hollow andreceiving said link beams within themselves in slidable relationship,there being longitudinal slots in the upper wall of each outrigger beamreceiving the connections between each tension bar and the sliding linkbar, (e) a multiplicity of longitudinally spaced crossbeams extendingtransversely between and secured at their ends to said outrigger beams,and (f) a pair of parallel, longitudinally extending main railssupported by and secured to said crossbeams, said main rails beingcapable of supporting a tube bundle and means movable along the rails topush or pull such a bundle,

said linear actuator comprising (g) a hydraulic cylinder and (h) matinglinearly extensible piston, one of which is secured to the base frameand the other to the slidable link beam, said linear actuator beingdisposed so that extension or retraction of the piston slides the cradlelongitudinally relative to the base frame.

4. The tube bundle extractor of claim 1 which further includes anauxiliary prime mover in the form of an endless chain and a motor onsame framework, together with a chain clamp secured to the nether sideof the car to engage the teeth of said chain, said chain being disposedbeneath the path of travel of the car from the rear end of the frameworkto approximately the forward end thereof and about midway between saidrails, said auxiliary chain and motor having the capacity to move saidcar and attached tube bundle when the tube bundle is not tightly boundto its shell by corrosion or friction.

5. The tube bundle extractor of claim 1 which further includes anauxiliary prime mover in the form of chain on said framework and a motoron said car, said motor driving a sprocket having teeth engaging thechain, said chain being disposed longitudinally parallel to the centerline of the extractor centered between said rails, the ends of the chainbeing fixed to the framework so that operation of the motor and sprocketcauses the car to walk along the chain.

6. The tube bundle extractor of claim 1 which further includes anauxiliary prime mover in the form of a rack and pinion drive, therebeing racks being mounted on the base framework and correspondingpinions being mounted on shafts depending from the car and driven by oneor more motors mounted on the car.

7. The tube bundle extractor of claim 1 in which the power means on saidcar comprise a hydraulic cylinder fixed to the car and anextensible-retractable piston extending longitudinally from saidcylinder, said extractor further including means for connecting saidpiston to a bundle of U-tubes, said connecting means comprising a. aT-shaped attachment member having for the crossbar a connecting platewith openings therethrough for the passage of threaded connectors to bereceived in tapped holes in the end sheet of such a tube bundle,

b. a leg or base secured to and projecting rearwardly from the crossbarand having a transverse opening therethrough,

c. a pin having a flat surface extending through said transverseopening,

d. a pair of parallel vertical links spanning the base of the T-memberand partially blocking the opening therethrough,

e. a pair of T-members disposed at opposite ends of said pair of leversand each pivotally secured thereto, and

f. a spacer block parallel and adjacent the crossbar of each endT-member, said spacer blocks each presenting a vertical surface facingforwardly of the levers to contact the vertical surface of said tubesheet, and

g. a number of jackscrews connecting each spacer block to the adjacentT-member crossbar for adjusting the position of said block,

whereby when said pin is passed through the leg open ing of the centerT-member with its flat surface contacting the back edges of the leverssaid jackscrews may be adjusted to form a rigid connection to the tubebundle, the lower of said jackscrew spacers also being pivotally securedto a clevis secured to the end of said piston.

8. The tube bundle extractor of claim 1 in which said detachablesecuring means includes means for aligning and securing said frameworkto the heat exchanger from which a tube bundle is to be withdrawn orinto which it is to be inserted, said alignment and securing meanscomprising a matching pair of subassemblies on each side of the baseframework to be coupled to points on the front flange of the heatexchanger shell at opposed points thereon, each subassembly including alinear hydraulic actuator having a cylinder secured to the base frameand a piston extending longitudinally forwardly therefrom, a sheaverotatably mounted on the base frame forwardly of the cylinder on ahorizontal axle, and'a cable secured to the free end of the piston andpassing through the sheave to be secured to an opening in the flange,said actuators being remotely controlled to lift or lower the forwardend of the framework relative to the heat exchanger flange.

9. The tube bundle'extractor of claim 1 in which said means fordetachably securing the framework to the shell of a heat exchangercomprises fixed jaws and pivoted jaws, one of each forming a pair onopposite sides of the framework, said fixed jaws being secured to andprojecting upwardly from the base framework near the forward end thereofin a common transverseplane, said pivoted jaws each being mounted onpins passing through the base framework on opposite sides thereof and ina common transverse plane spaced forwardly of the fixed jaws, each saidjaw being linked to a hydraulic piston which pivots the jaw between aninoperative position in which it is received in a recess in the base andan operative position in which it projects upwardly from the base and isspaced forwardly of the fixed jaw by the thickness of the heat exchangershell.

10. The tube bundle extractor of claim 9 further improved by mountingeach of said pivoted jaws on a pin passing through an inner rail of atelescoping pair of rails forming a part of said base framework, and inwhich said hydraulic piston is linked to said pivoted jaw while thecylinder from which it extends is secured to the outer or fixed rail,whereby said clamp amy be used to accommodate various thicknesses ofshells by extending the piston to simultaneously extend the inner railand pivoted jaw until the latter is positioned behind the shell when thefixed jaw abuts the front of the shell, then retracting the piston toboth raise the pivoted jaw to its upwardly projecting position andretract both inner rail and pivoted jaw until the latter engages theback surface of the shell.

11. The tube bundle extractor of claim 1 in which said detachablesecuring means includes a pair of shell clamps on opposed sides of theframework, each clamp comprising a fixed jaw projecting upwardly fromthe forward end of the framework in a common transverse plane, a linearhydraulic actuator having its cylinder secured longitudinally to theframework abaft of the end thereof and its piston extending forwardlytoward the end of the framework, a sliding framework membertelescopically disposed within the base frame and secured to said pistonfor longitudinal movement thereity of .crossbeams joined to saidoutrigger beams while said cradle comprises a superstructure ofcrossbeams and longitudinal beams joined at their corners, together witha multiplicity of vertical tension bars extending upwardly from theoutrigger beams to the superstructure, both said crossbeams between" theoutrigger beams and said crossbeams of the superstructure being made oftelescoping partsdetachably pinned together by pins extending throughaligned openings in the telescoping parts, whereby the distance betweensaid-tension bars over the rails may be adjusted to accommodate tubebundles of various diameters.- 1

13. The tube bundle extractor of claim 1 further comprising improved dogmeans for securing said car to the base portion of the frame duringapower stroke of the car-mounted power means, said dog means comprisinga number of dogs pivotally secured to the underside of the car andhaving both a lowermost operative position in which it engages membersof the base frame to preventlongitudinal movement of the car in onedirection, and an uppermost non-operative position in which it is freeof contact with the base frame, said dog being moved between saidpositions by a remotely controlled linear hydraulic actuator having itscylinder pivotally secured to the underside of the car and itsextensible piston pivotally connected to the dog, said actuator beingspring-biased so that the piston will be extended to push the dog to itslowermost position in the absence of hydraulic pressure in the cylinder.

14. The improved tube bundle extractor of claim 13 in which there aretwo said sets of dogs and hydraulic actuators, one said set of dogsbeing disposed so that in their lowermost position they prevent forwardmovement of the car while the other set is disposed so that in theirlowermost position they prevent rearward movement of the car, theactuators being hydraulically interlinked so that when one set of dogsis in its uppermost position the other set is in its lowermost position.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 5 Datedpt mber 17, 197

Inventor(s) Bobby J. Travis It is certified that error appears in theabove-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are herebycorrected as shown below:

In the Abstract, column 2, line 2, "holow" should read hollow Column 6,line 57, "crank" should read crane ColumnlO, line 36, "slidably" shouldread slidable In the claims;

Claim 5, line 3, actuator, should be inserted after "linear".

Signed and sealed this 31st day of December 1974.

(SEAL) Attest v McCOY M. GIBSON JR; c. MARSHALL DANN- Attesting OfficerCommissioner of Patents FORM PO-IOSO (10-69) USCOMM'DC GOSTG-PGQ u 5,GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: a 93 o

1. A tube bundle extractor comprising a framework elongated along itslongitudinal direction and including both means for suspending theextractor from a support and a base portion adapted to support a tubebundle, said framework comPrising a pair of portions selectivelyslidable with respect to each other along the longitudinal direction butotherwise secured together, a car supported on and movable along thelongitudinal direction of the base of the framework, means fordetachably securing one end of the framework to the shell of a heatexchanger so that the two members (framework and heat exchanger) arevertically and longitudinally aligned and the base of the extractor isin position to receive and support a tube bundle being pulled from orinserted into the shell, power means on said car to pull said tubebundle from the shell or insert it therein, and hydraulic means on saidframework to shift one portion thereof in the longitudinal directionrelative to the other, whereby the center of gravity of said extractorand any tube bundle supported thereon may be disposed approximatelydirectly below said support, said hydraulic means comprising a linearactuator having its cylinder secured to one of the portions of theframework and its extensible piston secured to the other said portion,said linear hydraulic actuator being disposed parallel to thelongitudinal direction of the framework.
 2. The tube bundle extractor ofclaim 1 in which said pair of framework portions are a base frameworkand a cradle, said cradle interlockingly supporting said base frameworkand including said suspension means, and in which said cylinder of thelinear hydraulic actuator is secured on one of said framework portions,either said cradle or said base, and its extensible piston secured tothe other framework portion, said hydraulic cylinder and piston beingdisposed parallel to the longitudinal direction of the framework so thatmovement of the piston out of or into its cylinder moves the cradlerelative to the base framework.
 3. A tube bundle extractor frameworkelongated along a longitudinal axis and comprising a cradle, a baseframe, and a linear said cradle comprising (a) a superstructureincluding means above the longitudinal axis for suspending the extractorfrom a support such as a crane hook, (b) two pairs of tension barspendent from the superstructure, one pair on each side of said axis, and(c) a link beam extending longitudinally and connecting the lower endsof each pair of link bars, said base frame comprising (d) a pair oflongitudinally extending outrigger beams disposed in transversely spacedrelationship at substantially the same locations as said link bars, saidoutrigger beams being hollow and receiving said link beams withinthemselves in slidable relationship, there being longitudinal slots inthe upper wall of each outrigger beam receiving the connections betweeneach tension bar and the sliding link bar, (e) a multiplicity oflongitudinally spaced crossbeams extending transversely between andsecured at their ends to said outrigger beams, and (f) a pair ofparallel, longitudinally extending main rails supported by and securedto said crossbeams, said main rails being capable of supporting a tubebundle and means movable along the rails to push or pull such a bundle,said linear actuator comprising (g) a hydraulic cylinder and (h) matinglinearly extensible piston, one of which is secured to the base frameand the other to the slidable link beam, said linear actuator beingdisposed so that extension or retraction of the piston slides the cradlelongitudinally relative to the base frame.
 4. The tube bundle extractorof claim 1 which further includes an auxiliary prime mover in the formof an endless chain and a motor on same framework, together with a chainclamp secured to the nether side of the car to engage the teeth of saidchain, said chain being disposed beneath the path of travel of the carfrom the rear end of the framework to approximately the forward endthereof and about midway between said rails, said auxiliary chain andmotor having the capacity to move said car and attached tube bundle whenthe tube bundle is not tightly bound to its shell by corrosion orfRiction.
 5. The tube bundle extractor of claim 1 which further includesan auxiliary prime mover in the form of chain on said framework and amotor on said car, said motor driving a sprocket having teeth engagingthe chain, said chain being disposed longitudinally parallel to thecenter line of the extractor centered between said rails, the ends ofthe chain being fixed to the framework so that operation of the motorand sprocket causes the car to walk along the chain.
 6. The tube bundleextractor of claim 1 which further includes an auxiliary prime mover inthe form of a rack and pinion drive, there being racks being mounted onthe base framework and corresponding pinions being mounted on shaftsdepending from the car and driven by one or more motors mounted on thecar.
 7. The tube bundle extractor of claim 1 in which the power means onsaid car comprise a hydraulic cylinder fixed to the car and anextensible-retractable piston extending longitudinally from saidcylinder, said extractor further including means for connecting saidpiston to a bundle of U-tubes, said connecting means comprising a. aT-shaped attachment member having for the crossbar a connecting platewith openings therethrough for the passage of threaded connectors to bereceived in tapped holes in the end sheet of such a tube bundle, b. aleg or base secured to and projecting rearwardly from the crossbar andhaving a transverse opening therethrough, c. a pin having a flat surfaceextending through said transverse opening, d. a pair of parallelvertical links spanning the base of the T-member and partially blockingthe opening therethrough, e. a pair of T-members disposed at oppositeends of said pair of levers and each pivotally secured thereto, and f. aspacer block parallel and adjacent the crossbar of each end T-member,said spacer blocks each presenting a vertical surface facing forwardlyof the levers to contact the vertical surface of said tube sheet, and g.a number of jackscrews connecting each spacer block to the adjacentT-member crossbar for adjusting the position of said block, whereby whensaid pin is passed through the leg opening of the center T-member withits flat surface contacting the back edges of the levers said jackscrewsmay be adjusted to form a rigid connection to the tube bundle, the lowerof said jackscrew spacers also being pivotally secured to a clevissecured to the end of said piston.
 8. The tube bundle extractor of claim1 in which said detachable securing means includes means for aligningand securing said framework to the heat exchanger from which a tubebundle is to be withdrawn or into which it is to be inserted, saidalignment and securing means comprising a matching pair of subassemblieson each side of the base framework to be coupled to points on the frontflange of the heat exchanger shell at opposed points thereon, eachsubassembly including a linear hydraulic actuator having a cylindersecured to the base frame and a piston extending longitudinallyforwardly therefrom, a sheave rotatably mounted on the base frameforwardly of the cylinder on a horizontal axle, and a cable secured tothe free end of the piston and passing through the sheave to be securedto an opening in the flange, said actuators being remotely controlled tolift or lower the forward end of the framework relative to the heatexchanger flange.
 9. The tube bundle extractor of claim 1 in which saidmeans for detachably securing the framework to the shell of a heatexchanger comprises fixed jaws and pivoted jaws, one of each forming apair on opposite sides of the framework, said fixed jaws being securedto and projecting upwardly from the base framework near the forward endthereof in a common transverse plane, said pivoted jaws each beingmounted on pins passing through the base framework on opposite sidesthereof and in a common transverse plane spaced forwardly of the fixedjaws, each said jaw being linked to a hydraulic piston which pivOts thejaw between an inoperative position in which it is received in a recessin the base and an operative position in which it projects upwardly fromthe base and is spaced forwardly of the fixed jaw by the thickness ofthe heat exchanger shell.
 10. The tube bundle extractor of claim 9further improved by mounting each of said pivoted jaws on a pin passingthrough an inner rail of a telescoping pair of rails forming a part ofsaid base framework, and in which said hydraulic piston is linked tosaid pivoted jaw while the cylinder from which it extends is secured tothe outer or fixed rail, whereby said clamp amy be used to accommodatevarious thicknesses of shells by extending the piston to simultaneouslyextend the inner rail and pivoted jaw until the latter is positionedbehind the shell when the fixed jaw abuts the front of the shell, thenretracting the piston to both raise the pivoted jaw to its upwardlyprojecting position and retract both inner rail and pivoted jaw untilthe latter engages the back surface of the shell.
 11. The tube bundleextractor of claim 1 in which said detachable securing means includes apair of shell clamps on opposed sides of the framework, each clampcomprising a fixed jaw projecting upwardly from the forward end of theframework in a common transverse plane, a linear hydraulic actuatorhaving its cylinder secured longitudinally to the framework abaft of theend thereof and its piston extending forwardly toward the end of theframework, a sliding framework member telescopically disposed within thebase frame and secured to said piston for longitudinal movementtherewith, and a jaw mounted on said sliding framework member, said jawand member being adjustably connected so that the jaw has a disengagedposition in which it lies below the upper edges of the sliding memberand an engaged position it which it projects above said sliding member,in position to engage the back side of the heat exchanger shell.
 12. Thetube bundle extractor of claim 1 in which said framework includes both acradle and a base framework, the base framework including a pair oflongitudinally elongated outrigger beams and a multiplicity ofcrossbeams joined to said outrigger beams while said cradle comprises asuperstructure of crossbeams and longitudinal beams joined at theircorners, together with a multiplicity of vertical tension bars extendingupwardly from the outrigger beams to the superstructure, both saidcrossbeams between the outrigger beams and said crossbeams of thesuperstructure being made of telescoping parts detachably pinnedtogether by pins extending through aligned openings in the telescopingparts, whereby the distance between said tension bars over the rails maybe adjusted to accommodate tube bundles of various diameters.
 13. Thetube bundle extractor of claim 1 further comprising improved dog meansfor securing said car to the base portion of the frame during a powerstroke of the car-mounted power means, said dog means comprising anumber of dogs pivotally secured to the underside of the car and havingboth a lowermost operative position in which it engages members of thebase frame to prevent longitudinal movement of the car in one direction,and an uppermost non-operative position in which it is free of contactwith the base frame, said dog being moved between said positions by aremotely controlled linear hydraulic actuator having its cylinderpivotally secured to the underside of the car and its extensible pistonpivotally connected to the dog, said actuator being spring-biased sothat the piston will be extended to push the dog to its lowermostposition in the absence of hydraulic pressure in the cylinder.
 14. Theimproved tube bundle extractor of claim 13 in which there are two saidsets of dogs and hydraulic actuators, one said set of dogs beingdisposed so that in their lowermost position they prevent forwardmovement of the car while the other set is disposed so that in theirlowermost position they prevent rearward movement of the car, theactuators being hydraulically interlinked so that when one set of dogsis in its uppermost position the other set is in its lowermost position.